


Home of memories

by 700wordsAmonth



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Curious Archer - Freeform, F/F, Mad Archer, One Shot, Rabbit Bow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 01:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14153238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/700wordsAmonth/pseuds/700wordsAmonth
Summary: "Living with Rogers makes a lot of things better for you – comfy bed, hot water, washing machine... company. But after a couple days you start picking up on some details. And you don't know exactly what they mean, except that they mean something."Tilly tries to get away from thoughts that are confusing her and ends up at Roni's.I'm just really excited to see the three Mills women interact with Tilly/Alice.





	Home of memories

Living with Rogers makes a lot of things better for you – comfy bed, hot water, washing machine... company. But after a couple days you start picking up on some details. And you don't know exactly what they mean, except that they mean _something._ Like the chessboard, with which you've played before, but which, for some reason, is starting to call your attention. You _know_ that that chessboard means something to you, that it is familiar to you, which is obvious: all chessboards look roughly the same, but there's _s_ _omething_ there.

And it's not only the board. There is a teddy bear that Rogers has on his bookcase, only Rogers doesn't have any children that you know of. The bear could be his, kept from his childhood, it certainly looks ratty enough for that, but there's this thing in the back of your mind that tells you that that bear is yours, which doesn't make any sense: you didn't bring any bear to Rogers' place. Maybe _he_ brought your bear. A bear that you don't remember having, but that is certainly yours.

And that's not to mention Rogers himself. Sometimes he'll look at you a certain way and you're  _sure_ that you've seen it before, but not like "last week" before. More like "a different life" before.

You feel like you felt when you didn't take your pills. But you did take them this morning, didn't you? You sat down, you drank the coffee Rogers offered you, you opened the small bottle and took your pill. Or was that yesterday? What day _is_ _to_ day? It doesn't matter, it wouldn't answer your question anyway.

 

Maybe you should take a walk. Clear your head of all the hints Rogers' place keeps trying to give you.

What a strange home.

 

* * *

 

Your head feels a little less messy in the cool breeze and you can distract yourself from your own mind as you observe everybody else. You have lunch at Sabine's truck and avoid your most faithful friend. Just thinking about the troll makes your head give you deja vus, only a different kind of deja vu: you see something that you think you've already seen, only it used to be different. Like a deja vu of a dream.

 _Oh_.

Maybe you dreamed that you had Rogers' bear and, in the dream, the board had a role and the troll... But it's almost nighttime, don't dreams fade as the day goes on? That's something you know: to remember your dreams, you have to write them down. You didn't write any of this down. Though it's true that you can't remember enough to make any sense of it. But, now that you're thinking about it, you seem to be remembering more, not less.

 

Should you take a second pill? Or maybe the first if you didn't really take it in the morning. But what if you did? Self-medicating can be dangerous. It's getting late anyway. You might as well wait to take it in the morning. You best remember not to forget it!

 

* * *

  

You find yourself outside Roni's. Margot mentioned it to you the other day. Her mom works here. Her mom's Roni? That part you don't remember well.

The place is empty save for the woman who named the place washing glasses behind the counter.

 

“We're closed,” she says, slowly taking her eyes from the surface crowded with glasses as she places the one she just rinsed carefully amidst them before meeting your eyes. “Tilly.” She sounds a little surprised at your presence.

“Roni, hey. I- I'm actually looking for someone. Margot, is she here?” You ask and press your knuckles into your right temple.

“Yes, I can get her for you,” she points up the stairs but keeps her eyes on you. “Are you okay, kid?”

“Kind of? My memory's been a little messy all day. It's been giving me a killer headache.”

“I'll call Margot and bring you some Aspirin.” She says and walks past you and up the stairs, into the private part of the building.

 

You sit at the bar and wait for Roni to come back. Why did you come see Margot? You hope she doesn't ask you why you're here. You wouldn't know what to say.

 

* * *

 

“Tilly," Margot says as she walks down the stairs, "aunt Roni said you weren't feeling well. What's wrong?”

“My head,” you say simply, letting the exhaustion of the day catch up with you. It makes your throat feel tight. “It's a jumbled mess. Things don't seem quite right, but I took my pills. At least I believe I did. Do you think I'm getting worse?”

Robin brushes a strand- No. _Who's Robin?_ Margot brushes a strand of hair behind your ear and rubs her thumb on the same spot you had applied pressure earlier. “No, I think you're having a bad day. Even the best of us have those.” Her right hand brushes your cheek on its way down and holds your left one, interlacing your fingers. “Wanna stay here tonight?”

You do. You're more confused than you were before, or at least just as confused, but you're tired and your head is already pounding and, though Margot gives you those weird kinds of deja vu too, you don't feel like walking away from her. There's something in her presence that makes you believe you're closer to remembering whatever dream you had, but instead of making you anxious to figure it out once and for all, it calms you down. _She_ calms you down. The answer is already here, you just need to let it show itself to you.

Margot guides you to her bedroom above the bar, she offers you a big T-shirt to sleep in and you follow the soft touches of her hands to your own, to your back, your forehead and let her put you to bed. You're almost asleep when she enters the room again _(when did she leave?)_ with a glass of water and the painkillers Roni had offered you before.

“Take a couple of these and try to sleep, you'll see your head will be much clearer tomorrow.”

You do as she says and feel yourself sinking into the bed, but you're not quite asleep yet. It's the weight of Robin settling in beside you that- Is Margot Robin? _Does she have a middle name?_ You ask yourself as you shift in bed to face her.You don't really know why, but you're sure that, though Margot's name is Margot, it is also Robin.

You don't get to ask her, though, sleep catches you first.

 

* * *

 

You wake up with Robin spooning you. Margot spooning you. And you know now that she is both, even if she doesn't know it herself. The headache isn't quite gone, but you remember now, without pills to make you foggy and because you now have your Papa and Robin back in your life, even if here they go by another name. You can feel the headache going away now that the world (worlds, really) is clear.

You get up slowly not to disturb Robin's sleep and walk out of her room and down the stairs. Her mom and aunt are serving breakfast on the counter for themselves, but there are two extra sets of cups and small plates waiting for Robin and, you suppose, yourself.

“Hi,” Robin's mom spots you first and smiles at you, “I'm Kelly.”

You don't know if anyone else remembers, you're pretty sure that Robin and your Papa don't, but you hope you're not the only one. “Are you really?”

Her smile grows wolfish.

“You're awake.”

You smile in relief at not being in this alone. Roni, Robin's aunt whose name you never got to learn, pours coffee for you, patting the counter a couple of times in invitation for you to sit.

You follow her request and study them both for a second. They both remember. “Yes,” you answer Zelena, and ask, even though you know the answer. “Robin?”

Zelena's smile falters. “No... At least, not until last night. Did she say anything to you?”

“No... Nothing like that.”

Zelena's smile doesn't quite reach her eyes again as her right hand falls on top of yours and squeezes briefly. “It's good to see you, dear. This,” she gestures toward Roni, “is Regina, my sister.”

“Hey kid,” Regina's voice is low and soft in the early morning, “I met you once before. But circumstances weren't ideal, so I don't think you'll remember me.”

“Sorry,” you answer, “I really don't.”

“That's alright. _So_ ,” she says cheerfully, changing the mood, “how did you meet Zelena and Robin?”

“I met Robin first, we... We got into trouble together.”

Regina chuckles warmly, her eyes bright on you. “Sounds like my niece.”

You steer your coffee, lost inside your own head as you try to summarize everything that happened before the curse. “I fell in love with her.”

You look at the women who raised Robin and see the similarities between them as they both soften further in the quiet, empty bar.

“Guess we're all family, then,” Regina says. And Zelena's squeeze to your arm seems to settle it.

 

A loud bam startles the three of you and soon you see Margot running down the stairs. She stops suddenly when the bar is fully visible to her, eyes set on you. “Tilly,” she sounds relieved, “I thought you'd left.”

“No, your mom and aunt lured me in with coffee.”

“Good,” she smiles and walks down to you, taking a seat by your side. “How's the headache?” She asks, feeling your forehead with the back of her hand as if you had a fever.

“All gone.” You meet her eyes through her glasses and have to fight not to be pulled in now that you remember everything about her. About being with her. You clear your throat and find the amused smiles of the older Mills women.

“I should get going, Pa- Rogers will be worried that I didn't come back.”

“We called him last night,” Zelena says, “he knows you stayed over.”

“See?” Margot's right hand falls warmly on the back of your left, her thumb tracing your pinky absentmindedly. “Finish your coffee first. No need to rush.”

 

* * *

 

Margot walks you out when neither of you can find any more excuses for you not to go home. You can see it in the way she leans on the doorframe, angling herself towards you, that she's not quite ready for you to go. You know the feeling.

Even before remembering her, your history sat heavily between you two, a tension pulling you together, your feet following it, but your hands and eyes lost on what to do with such a strong and sudden connection. You know now what it is, know that you want to play with her hair and kiss the back of her hand and, especially, kiss her lips. If you're honest with yourself, you knew what this tension was even before remembering, but you barely knew her – you thought you barely knew her – you were scared of acting on it.

Now you don't only know what it is, you know _why_ it is. It makes it very tempting to simply lean towards her like she's leaning towards you. Your body decides before your head makes its mind, the tip of your nose brushes hers, making her smile and look down, a pretty blush coloring her cheeks and she pulls an inch away from you. She's not quite ready, that's okay. Margot doesn't know the why yet.

You kiss her cheek instead and fiddle with a strand of her hair, “I'll see you later, yeah?”

“Definitely,” she answers, trying to contain a smile that is too big for her to be successful.

You walk backward, away from her, but you can't stop looking as she moves toward the entrance of the bar. She stops and looks back at you, raising her right hand in a timid goodbye before finally walking in. Your feet cease moving even though you can't see her anymore. You hear her “ _what?_ ” from inside Roni's and come closer to the bar window to listen to what is happening. Zelena's voice reaches you clearly, “ _She seems like a lovely young woman._ ” Margot's shrieked “ _Mom!_ ” is followed by rushed footsteps up the stairs.

You turn around and start making your way to Rogers', feeling like your home just got a whole of a lot bigger.

 


End file.
